Architecture Showcase & Awards

• Networking & Cocktail Hour at 5:30 p.m.
• Showcase begins at 7 p.m.
• Architecture presentation featuring Richard B. Hess, AIA, NCARB from Quinn Evans Architects
• Presentation of architectural work from UCF, UF and Valencia
• Awarding of student scholarships
• Gallery of student and local architects’ fine artwork

About Richard B. Hess, AIA, NCARB: 

Richard Hess, AIA, is a principal at Quinn Evans with over 25 years of combined experience practicing and teaching architecture. Throughout his career, Mr. Hess has been passionately involved in the adaptive reuse of existing places and re-imagining historic buildings for the next generation. Following Detroit’s notorious bankruptcy in 2013, Richard spearheaded a small team of like-minded individuals interested in being a part of the city’s historic comeback, focusing on the revitalization of Detroit’s neighborhoods and its many culturally rich but abandoned places.

For the last six years, Richard has led the architectural and engineering team responsible for the rehabilitation of the iconic Michigan Central Station – once considered the grandest train station in the nation and the gateway to the industrial Motor City. Michigan Central serves as the hub for Ford Motor Company’s 30-acre innovation district, focusing on state-of-the-art mobility solutions for a more sustainable and equitable future. Richard is also leading the renovation of New York’s Buffalo Central Terminal, an equally impressive, early-20th-century train depot which has been abandoned for nearly 40 years. His project work has received both local and national attention, including the Michigan Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation and the Richard H. Driehaus National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Richard holds degrees in architecture from the University of Florida and the University of Michigan. In addition to leading client relationships as principal, Richard is Quinn Evans’ Regional Director for Strategy and Excellence and serves on the firm’s board of directors.

About Quinn Evans: 

With roots in preservation, sustainable design, and the adaptive reuse of existing places, Quinn Evans is a people-oriented and community-focused practice dedicated to confronting the urgent challenges of climate change and social inequity. In recognition of its leadership and impact on the architectural profession, Quinn Evans was recently awarded the 2024 AIA Architecture Firm Award—the highest honor the AIA bestows upon an architectural practice.

Quinn Evans was founded in 1984 by Michael L. Quinn, FAIA, and David S. Evans, FAIA with offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. The founders’ vision for a preservation-based practice, focusing on research, design authenticity, economic viability, and sustainability, quickly met with success, with Quinn Evans emerging as a national leader in the restoration and reuse of some of the nation’s most recognized and culturally significant buildings and sites.
Today, Quinn Evans employs more than 200 professionals in six offices and is one of the largest woman-owned architectural design firms in the country. Led by President and CEO Alyson Steele, FAIA, LEED AP, Quinn Evans specializes in cultural, institutional, commercial, and educational projects with services including architecture, interior design, planning, landscape architecture, urban revitalization, and historic preservation.

Presented in partnership with the University of Florida, Valencia College and the Orlando Foundation for Architecture (OFA).